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NFL exec: London getting 'huge game' of winless teams

Tom Pelissero, USA TODAY Sports
8:40 p.m. EDT September 24, 2013

Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings arrived in London on Tuesday morning in advance of Sunday's international series game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. First stop: an NFL-sponsored "Play60" event outside Wembley Stadium.(Photo: Tom Pelissero, USA TODAY Sports)

"We've never had a game as early as Week 4 before, and that both teams are coming in with that record makes the game even more critical," Parsons told USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday night. "What a huge game it's going to be on Sunday for both teams."

"Sometimes, late in the season, teams have sustained their losing record and attitude and therefore have less appeal. But when you're 0-3, you've still got a chance, and whoever wins this game is going to be very much alive."

This wasn't how either team intended to make their trip abroad, of course.

It's a particularly challenging situation for the Vikings, who began the 4,000-mile flight Monday night and went straight to a community event Tuesday as part of their "home" team responsibilities.

"It puts you on your heels a little bit in a lot of ways with this travel and the schedule, and the locker room's going to be in the hotel or whatever. It's kind of out there," Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway told USA TODAY Sports. But in a counterintuitive way, it sort of makes sense that this could be a great way for us to step away and play some good football this week and see what happens."

This is just a slightly longer road trip for the Steelers, who plan to practice at their facility Wednesday and Thursday before flying here Friday morning.

The Vikings, on the other hand, were outside Wembley Stadium for Tuesday's "Play60" event, with roughly 200 British children running through American football drills and peppering players with questions.

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NFL titans Troy Polamalu (43) of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings met Sept. 29 as the NFL returned to London and Wembley Stadium. The Vikes outlasted the Steelers 34-27, thanks in large part to Peterson's efforts.
Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports

Steelers rookie RB Le'Veon Bell made his NFL debut in the game and vaulted into the end zone for his first professional TD in the opening quarter. Bell hit paydirt again in the third quarter.
Sang Tan, AP

The league has been featuring its product abroad for decades and is increasing the visibility of players overseas. Vikings Jared Allen (69) and Kevin Williams (93) and Pittsburgh's Ramon Foster were among those who jetted over to the United Kingdom in July to serve as NFL ambassadors.
Lefteris Pitarakis, AP

The Jaguars and 49ers will meet in London on Oct. 27, marking the first time two games have been played there in the same season. The Jaguars will "host" a game in England each of the next four seasons as owner Shad Khan tries to expand the team's international footprint.
Lefteris Pitarakis, AP

Before exporting regular-season contests as part of its International Series, the NFL regularly staged preseason games in England, Germany and even Japan. The league also supported a minor league called NFL Europe.
Katsumi Kasahara, AP

The Bills have been farming out one regular-season game per season to Toronto since 2008 in a bid to expand their regional presence outside of Buffalo. Unfortunately for the Bills, they're only 1-4 in "home" games at the Rogers Centre in an event that's been met with tepid local enthusiasm and overpriced tickets.
Rick Stewart, Getty Images

But the International Series' flagship affairs occur in London, beginning with the Dolphins-Giants matchup in 2007, which came complete with a 26-foot statue of Miami defender Jason Taylor. The game was the NFL's first regular-season foray outside North America.
Ben Stansall, Getty Images

The Buccaneers, who are owned by the Glazer family (they also control world-famous soccer club Manchester United), were back in 2011. But they fared no better against the Bears, who won 24-18 as RB Matt Forte racked up 183 yards from scrimmage and scored one TD.
Kyle Terada, USA TODAY Sports

Brady and the Pats invaded again in 2012. They faced a Rams squad that had initially agreed to play three "home" games at Wembley but later backed out given their tenuous stadium circumstances in St. Louis.
Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports

Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski stole the show in a 45-7 wipeout of the Rams, catching eight passes for 146 yards and two TDs. In his Gronk save the Queen performance, the tight end mimicked a member of the Queen's Guard after one of his scores -- or, in Gronk-speak, "That little nutcracker dude that's guarding the house. ... I like how he just sits there and stays still. It's pretty cool."
Jamie McDonald Getty Images

It would probably be pretty cool for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to put a franchise in London as part of his legacy. However a league official recently told USA TODAY Sports there won't be a team permanently based abroad anytime soon. A London Super Bowl may be a more realistic possibility in the short term.
Richard Mackson, USA TODAY Sports

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From there, Vikings players boarded buses for the ride to their hotel in the borough of Watford and were encouraged to stay awake in hopes of getting their internal clocks synced to local time. They'll begin a "normal" practice week Wednesday morning.

"We got a pretty good game plan together to be able to adjust to a time change to be ready to play by Sunday," running back Adrian Peterson said. "It's not a vacation for us. We have to come down here and get a job done."

The Vikings – like the San Francisco 49ers, who will face the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second international series game Oct. 27 – were a playoff team in 2012. The four teams London fans will see this season are 1-11 so far.

The league books the international series a year in advance, so matchups that appear appealing on paper might not be by game time. The Jaguars are locked in through 2016, while the rest of the spots in next year's games won't be announced until next month.

Parsons said all 32 teams are always under consideration for the international series, though he noted some can't be the home team because of provisions in their leases and the league likes to rotate as many teams as possible to serve their U.K. fans.

Both games were virtual sellouts within weeks of tickets going on sale – a positive sign as the NFL continues to ramp up efforts to expand its fan base in Great Britain.

"One of the great things that we've got this weekend is a really, really meaningful game with what are still two very good football teams and two very storied franchises who I think are going to put on a great show," Parsons said.

The Vikings originally were approached about playing three games in three years at Wembley before agreeing to just one game for now. Getting a win at a desperate time surely would make team officials more willing to consider a return in the future.

"You don't lose the fact that where we just came from yesterday," Greenway said, then paused for a tired gaze at his watch, "or two days ago, with that loss (to the Cleveland Browns) and the way we lost the game and the stretches of really good football that we did play.

"There are so many negative things you can get trapped in. I think you've just got to stay positive right now."